Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is a model of therapy that specifically works with young children (ages birth to six years old) who have experienced trauma, domestic violence, and/or separation from a primary caregiver. In this model, therapists work with the child and a caregiver (often a parent, but can also be a grandparent, foster parent, or anyone who is a primary caregiver to the child) together in sessions. Therapists also typically work with the caregiver alone outside of the parent-child sessions to support parenting skills and help the caregiver understand and process their own emotions related to the child’s trauma responses.
CPP typically has three stages. The first stage involves engaging the family in services, getting to know the child and caregiver, and gathering information about the traumatic event(s) that the child and caregiver have experienced. The second stage involves a combination of parent-child sessions and periodic caregiver sessions to support the child and family in understanding their responses to trauma and teaching the caregiver how to recognize and understand trauma symptoms in their child. In these sessions, the child and caregiver may play together, may talk about difficult feelings or experiences, and may create a narrative together about what happened and how they can heal together. The third stage involves considering what the family may need in the future, reflecting on the work that was done, and celebrating growth and change that occurred.
Therapy looks very different with very young children, and it typically requires a significant amount of parent involvement. It is important that parents seek out a professional who is trained to work with this age group, as most therapists have little to no experience or training in working with very young children. Family Roots Therapy currently has several therapists who have either completed or are in the process of completing an 18 month training program in Child-Parent Psychotherapy. If you believe this might be a good fit for you and your child, please feel free to reach out and contact us.